Conveyor for individual units

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a conveyor for individual units which comprises a frame (1) with an upper guide for at least a first rod (2) conveyed and held on said guide and with further rods (3) which also extend on the upper guide or a guide parallel thereto at a distance below the upper guide substantially parallel to the first rod (2). Strip material (4) mounted on the rods forms, between the rods (2, 3) held in the guides, loops which act as receiving pockets (5) for individual units (6). To create a conveyor with the above features which provides the items to be transported with improved protection from damage without affecting the capacity for rapid loading and unloading and for reuse, the invention proposes at least one support rod (7) which can be moved below the upper guide to be aligned parallel to the other rods (2, 3) and in the direction of the receiving pockets (5) or the individual units (6) held therein and which is in contact with the last of said pockets (5) or the item (6) held therein, and can be fixed in said position of rest.

The present invention relates to a transportation device for piecegoods, consisting of a frame with an upper guide for at least a firstrod held and guided on this guide and with further rods which likewiseextend on the upper guide or on a guide parallel hereto at a distancebeneath the upper guide substantially parallel to the first rod, whereinthe rods carry a web material which between the rods held in the guidesforms loops as receiving pockets for piece goods.

Such a device is known from the German Patent Application No. P 41 38507.1.

To explain the terms used within the framework of the presentapplication, it is additionaly pointed out that, in a similar manneralso in the case of the above-mentioned application, the term "frame" isto be understood very broadly and includes all kinds of open and closedsupports or frames, including closed boxes or cases which only consistof side walls and base and/or cover. The terms "frame" and "container"are therefore used largely synonymously in the present application. Inaddition, the term "web material" is also formulated very broadly andincludes foils as well as fabrics, nets and individual strips, arrangedparallel adjacent to each other, of foil- or fabric material or ofcords. The web material is respectively suspended on two adjacent rodsand hangs downwards between these two rods in the form of a loop,forming a receiving pocket. On the end face, these pockets or loops canbe open or closed, e.g. they can also be closable by means ofan--optionally elastic--band, so that the two opposing parts of a pocketare held together at the end faces. The web material can extendoptionally only between two respectively adjacent rods, so thatrespectively two rods with the pocket situated therebetween areindependent of the remaining pockets, preferably however the web extendsover more than two rods, so that a series of cohesive loops or pocketsis formed.

Such transportation devices are primarily intended for thetransportation of piece goods, in particular for the transportation ofrespectively similar piece goods which are required as finished piecesor as components or semifinished pieces for the production and assemblyof more complex objects. An example of this is body parts in theautomobile indutry which, for example, are punched and formed in a bodyfactory a distance away from the assembly factory for the cars and onlythen have to be transported to the assembly site. Many piece goods aresensitive to scratching, shocks or impacts, because they can hereby beeither destroyed, damaged or deformed or else at least become unsightly.They are then possibly unusable for the further processing- ormanufacturing process.

The concern with such piece goods is therefore that a correspondingtransportation device protects the individual objects reliably from suchdamage.

Furthermore, in the case of piece goods which are produced for furtherprocessing or assembly, the loading- and unloading process must besimplified and accelerated as much as possible. In actual terms, as faras possible not every individual piece has to be packed in its owncontainer with corresponding padding material and the container thenalso further closed, because packing into such containers and thesubsequent removal is extremely time-consuming and makes the productionprocess considerably more expensive, to which the packing material,which under certain circumstances is extremely expensive, contributes.In this respect, devices are preferred which can be reused more or lesscompletely and unchanged.

The device known from the prior art according to P 41 38 507.1 whichrefers back to the applicant's legal predecessor, already satisfactorilyfulfils a part of the above-mentioned requirements. In so far as detailswithin the framework of the present application are not describedprecisely, in particular as regards the construction of the individualpockets and loops and also their suspension on the rods, then referenceis to be made to the above-mentioned application, the features of whichin this respect are also deemed to be disclosed for the present device.

Furthermore, it has been found, however, that in the knowntransportation device, occasional damage of individual parts can not becompletely ruled out, in particular where very sensitive objects areconcerned, e.g. painted sheet metal parts or objects of glass or ofanother material sensitive to impact, and when the transportationconditions are relatively rough, i.e. if lorries laden with suchtransportation devices travel for example at high speed through roadholes or around tight bends.

On the other hand, the known device already fulfils essentialrequirements with regard to a quick loading- and unloading possibilityand also with regard to the reusability, generally without expendablematerials.

Compared with this prior art, therefore the present invention is basedon the problem of providing a transportation device with the featuresmentioned in the introduction, which protects the objects to betransported even better from damage, without the quick loading- andunloading possibility and the reusability being impaired.

This problem is solved in that at least one holding rod is provided,which is displaceable beneath the upper guide aligned parallel to theremaning rods and in the direction of the receiving pockets or the piecegoods or objects held therein and in abutment to the last of thesepockets or up to the last object held therein, and is fixable in thisabutment position.

As one can easily imagine, the piece goods held in the pockets can havethe most varied of shapes, wherein however the transportationarrangement is preferably used such that in a frame or containerrespectively a series of identical objects is held in the individual,successively arranged pockets. Of course, this does not rule out thefact that for example also different objects can be arranged alternatelyin the pockets, which complement each other in their shape so that thedevice is used in a more space-saving manner or that one and the sameobjects are loded alternately in differing orientation into the pockets.

Nevertheless, the pockets suspended in the containers or frames, withthe objects situated therein, as a whole form a structure capable ofoscillation and the individual pockets can easily go into oscillation ingroups or reciprocally, so that either adjacent pockets hit each otheror the pockets strike against the frame or the container walls oragainst adjacent containers of the objects held therein. In so doing,undesired damage can occur to the objects held in the individualpockets.

According to the invention, the capability of the individual pockets tooscillate is considerably reduced by the additional holding rod which isdisplaceable beneath the upper guide and aligned in parallel to theremaining rods in the direction of the respectively last of the pocketsor the objects held therein and is fixable in abutment therein. If oneimagines for example a series of 10-20 individual pockets, which areformed by web material hanging down in a loop form from a correspondingseries of parallel rods and in which for example respectively theradiator cover of an automobile is held, then these pockets, suspendedin a container or frame, can oscillate relatively strongly. If now,however, from one side in a container or frame a holding rod is pushedup to the respectively last of these pockets beneath the upper guide forthe rods, then the individual pockets are pressed together in a centralregion and secured, so that they can practically no longer rock oroscillate. At the same time, the web material forms a padding betweenthe individual objects and with sight displacements of the pockets toeach other, prevents the objects from scratching each other.

In the case of other objects which can touch each other reciprocally,without the risk of damage thereby arising, the pockets can also beformed by very short loops in which only a lower part of the respectiveobject is held. Only the first such pocket extends with one side to anupper guide or a rod, which is guided in such a guide and the followingrods are arranged substantially lower and form only very short loops orpockets, from which the individual objects extend upwards. In this case,the holding rod, after the loading of the pockets with the individualobjects is not pushed up to the pocket but rather to the last object, sothat the objects themselves are pressed together and are largely fixedin the compressed position, so that an oscillation or rocking isscarcely still possible. In so doing, for example, a lower, somewhatmore sensitive part of the objects can be held in the pockets, whilstthe objects lie adjacent to each other in their upper region and in sodoing are padded against each other possibly by padding material whichcan also be part of the objects. This variant can also be altered inthat between every two adjacent objects a corresponding holding rod isarranged, which separates the objects from each other so that alsosensitive objects can be transported in the short pockets.

An embodiment of the invention is preferred, in which the upper and thepossibly present lower guide consist respectively of a pair of guidetracks arranged laterally in the frame. This gives the rods, which arethen guided with their two opposed ends respectively on or in theseguide tracks, a maximum stability for carrying the pockets.

Furthermore, it is expedient if the frame or container has a closureflap on its one side from which it is charged or loaded and unloadedwith the respective objects. Optionally, such a closure flap can ofcourse also be provided on the two opposite sides of a container orframe, so that optionally the unloading and loading can take place fromone side just as from the other side. In the latter case, a furtherholding rod could also be provided, which can be pushed from theopposite side up to the pockets or the objects held therein.

To protect the objects held in the pockets, a device is preferred inwhich the frame is constructed with side walls and/or base and/or coveras a substantially closed container. As already mentioned, such acontainer can be produced so that on a bearing frame correspondingwalls, base and cover are arranged, or else the walls of the containercan also be self-supporting, so that the "frame" is formed by the wallsand possibly base and cover itself. Corresponding guide tracks are thenarranged for example directly on the walls of the container. Vice versa,also the guide tracks could be connected with each other into an opensupport or frame, and corresponding walls could then be arranged on thisframe.

For many applications, it may be expedient if at least the holdingrod(s) is(are) surrounded by a padding material. If necessary, this canalso be expedient for the remaining rods which carry the pockets, inparticular in the case of the rods only forming short loops or pockets,which are guided in a lower guide.

Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention is preferred, in whichholding parts and stopping parts are provided for the holding orstopping of the rods in the guides in a loading- or unloading positionof the respective rods. In this development, the concern is actuallythat the objects are removed individually and in succession from thepockets or are inserted into the pockets. For this, the respectivepocket is to be easily accessible in a loading- or unloading positionand is also to be fixed in this position, for which the above-mentionedholding- and stopping parts serve. Here, the rod of the respectivelynext pocket can also already be held or stopped in a preparationposition.

An expedient development of the present invention is produced in thatthe holding rod is provided on a loading sliding carriage which isdisplaceable into the frame. This loading sliding carriage fulfils adual function, by ensuring both the aligned guiding of the holding rodup to the respectively last pocket or respectively last object, at thesame time however also serving as an auxiliary device which facilitatesand accelerates the loading and unloading of the device. This loadingsliding carriage, as already mentioned, is displaceable into the frameor container and can accordingly also be drawn out at least a little outfrom the frame. The drawn out position here is the unloading- or loadingposition and in the pushed-in position the holding rod, arranged on theloading sliding carriage, is pressed against the pockets or objects, itbeing understood that the sliding carriage is fixable in variouspushed-in positions in the frame, so that the position of the holdingrod can be varied accordingly, in order to obtain a secure abutmentagainst the last pocket or against the last object.

For the unloading or loading, the loading sliding carriage has a loadingrod arranged behind the holding rod, and in addition expediently underthe holding rod and the loading rod a stowage box is provided to receiverods and the web material arranged thereon (the empty pockets). Theloading sliding carriage is therefore actually constructed so that theholding rod and the loading rod are situated anywhere on a central levelof the frame or container beneath the upper guides, so that therebeneaththere is still space for a stowage box. The holding rod is arranged hereon the side facing the objects or pockets in the container and theloading rod is situated behind it, i.e. on the side facing away from thepockets. With the sliding carriage drawn out, the holding rod could thenfor example either already be outside the frame or be situatedapproximately in the plane of the front edge of the container or frame.Then the respective rod is taken out on the end face from the guide fromthe last pocket against which the holding rod had previously beensituated and which in the case of unloading is the first pocket to beunloaded, and the respective rod is then deposited over the slidingcarriage downwards into the stowage box (open at the front). In sodoing, the web which forms the one side of the pocket or loop firstlyplaces itself over the holding rod and then over the loading rod, andthe pocket is thereby largely open, wherein on the one side of thepocket only a short lower section of the pocket is still formed betweenthe holding rod and the lowest point of the pocket. The object is theneasily accessible and can be removed from the pocket. The first rod ispushed into a guide preferably present in the stowage box and in so dingdraws at least a piece of the web material fastened thereto with it intothe stowage box. The remainder of the web material of this pocket caneither be pushed in by hand into the stowage box or can simply remainlying over the holding rod and loading rod. Then the following rod ismoved in the same manner over the loading sliding carriage, i.e. overthe holding rod and the loading rod, and is placed or pushed into thestowage box. Hence the next pocket is open and the object can beremoved. In this way, gradually all the rods are removed from the upperguide and are stowed in the stowage box, wherein at least a portion ofthe web material is also held in the stowage box and the remaining webmaterial lies possibly loosely on holding rod and loading rod.

After the complete unloading, the sliding carriage can then be pushedback in this form into the frame or container and be fixed and in thisform the container or the frame is immediately ready to to receive newobjects again, beginning with the first pocket. The first or last rod,depending on whether one is considering the loading or unloadingprocess, can remain here in the upper guide. For loading, acorresponding object is then inserted into the first, already openpocket and the individual rods are then removed in reverse sequenceagain from the stowage box and are suspended into the upper guide,wherein the individual pockets are automatically completed and closed.

Expediently, the stowage box has a stowage flap at its lower end,articulated under the loading rod and able to be swivelled forward. Thiscan be swivelled forward or flapped up in a simple manner and thusdefines a receiving opening for the individual rods. The stowage flapcan also be placed obliquely in the manner of a chute, so that one cansimply allow the individual rods to drop from above into the stowageflap, on which they then slide into the stowage box. Preferably,however, lateral guide pieces are provided in the stowage box, ifnecessary in several stages one over another, for the ordered holding ofthe rods which are to be received therein. Hereby, if necessary it ispossible in a simpler and easier way to take out the individual rodsquickly from the stowage box in the correct sequence. As alreadymentioned, the loading sliding carriage is to be moveable as a unit intothe frame and then fixable in a variably selectable position in theframe. Alternatively, of course, the holding rod can also bedisplaceable on the loading sliding carriage and variably fixable, whenthe loading sliding carriage only has a single fixed position or onlyroughly graduated fixable positions in the frame.

In the preferred embodiment, the loading rod and holding rod areconnected with each other by lateral connecting members, so that theholding rod can be swivelled and folded around the loading rod servinghere as an axis.

To accelerate and facilitate the loading and unloading, in particular inthe case of the transporation of relatively heavy objects, the upperguides or guide tracks are to run offset downwards at their end facingthe loading side. Thereby a course is described in which the upperguides or guide tracks run bent downwards and at a final end sectionparallel again to the remaining part of the guides or else inclinedslightly upwards. These end sections of the guides then lie deeper thanthe actual part of the upper guide and it is then possible, for example,after a heavy object has been placed or inserted into a pocket, tofirstly suspend the rod closing this pocket into the end section of theguide or guide tracks lying lower, wherein the lower end of the loopsforming the pocket possibly still sits on the base or on the loadingsliding carriage and supports the weight of the object contained in thepocket. Then the rod can be pushed up on the obliquely running sectionof the guide tracks, wherein also the pocket or the lower end section ofthe pocket is correspondingly raised. For this, one requires less forcethan for the direct suspension of the rods on the higher level of themain part of the upper guide tracks. If necessary, one must see to ithere that the part of the objects resting at the bottom in the pocketslips relatively easily. Then the pocket hangs freely on the two rods,which run in the main part of the upper guide.

Expediently, all the rods carrying the web material, possibly also theholding rod and also the loading sliding carriage have at their oppositeend or sides rollers which are guided in the corresponding guides orguide tracks, and namely so that the rollers can not slip out laterallyfrom the guides.

In a variant of the invention already described, only a first rod runsin an upper guide, whilst all the other rods carrying the web materialare arranged in guides running distinctly lower, wherein the holding rodis arranged parallel to the upper and to the lower rods on a levelbetween them. This is the variant with the formation of short pockets inwhich, however, longer objects are held, which extend further upwards,so that they can be picked up by the holding rod arranged on anintermediate level and can be held in a more or less compressedposition. For this, the device expediently has its own guide arranged inthe frame, for the holding rod on the above-mentioned middle level.

In this variant, the individual pockets on loading and unloading or theobjects held therein and projecting upwards are relatively easilyaccessible, so that here one does not require a loading slidingcarriage, but one does require a stowage space for the rods and the webmaterial of the pockets, when these are drawn out in succession forwardsfrom their corresponding guides, in order to be able to empty thepockets in succession. For this, it is expedient if a correspondingreceiving device is provided for such rods and the web material isprovided on or in the transportation device. In the preferred form ofembodiment of such a variant, the receiving device is formed from a freespace with laterally arranged guide tracks to receive the rod ends,wherein the container and the guides or the web material lengths areselected so that this free space remains beneath the pockets in thecontainer or frame.

Furthermore, in this variant of the invention it is expedient if severalholding rods are provided, which are pushed respectively behind anobject loaded into the device, so that respectively an object anda--preferably padded--holding rod are inserted alternately into thedevice. Optionally, a holding rod can also be respectively pushed inafter a group of several objects. The holding rods can then keep theindividual objects or groups thereof separate from each other, even ifthe pockets, compared with these objects, only have a very low height.

A further embodiment of the device according to the invention isparticularly expedient and useful for preventing transportation damage,in which in addition to the holding rod, a braking or fixing device isalso provided for the rods carrying the pockets. Hereby, the possibilityof movement of the pockets which may be present and of the objectssituated therein is restricted still further, because the pockets thenare not only fixed in their central region by the holding rod but inaddition also are fixed on the supporting rods of the individualpockets.

According to a variant, this braking/fixing device consists of anelongated plate arranged on a shaft or on a strip of an elastomermaterial, preferably of rubber, wherein the shaft preferably extendsperpendicularly to the rods and approximately parallel to the guides forthe rods and is swivellable about its longitudinal axis such thatthereby the plate or the strip of elastomer material is able to bebrought into engagement by one of its longitudinal edges with the rods,wherein this plate or its longitudinal edge is deformed accordingly onplacing against the individual rods.

The shaft here can have a largely arbitrary cross-section and isrotatably mounted at its ends and preferably connected with acorresponding lever which permits the rotation of the shaft also againstthe resistance which possibly occurs.

According to another variant, a layer of a brake material, an elastomermaterial generally being preferred as brake material, is arranged on atrack, which is swivellable on a series of swivel members on a planecontaining the track itself. Preferably, the swivel plane is a verticalplane and the track is arranged above the rods and is pressed or drawnby one or more springs into a position in which the brake layer israised from the rods.

Finally, a corresponding braking- or fixing device is preferablyconstructed according to the invention so that it is coupled with aclosure mechanism of the loading sliding carriage or the closure flap orthe insertion mechanism of the holding rod such that with the loadingsliding carriage pushed in, the holding rod pushed in or the closureflap closed, it is automatically in engagement with the rods. Here, thedevice can be constructed in detail so that through the closure- orinsertion process automatically also the braking device is actuated, orelse the braking- or fixing device can be constructed so that itprevents a displacement of holding rod and loading sliding carriage intothe desired position and/or prevents a closing of the closure flap, aslong as the braking device has not been brought into engagement with therods.

A braking device can also be provided specifically for the holding rods,wherein in the case of the use of several holding rods, this brakingdevice, on supplying a further holding rod, is to be automatic or forexample able to be released by the actuation of a foot pedal, so thatrods already pushed in with the continued loading of the device togetherwith the already loaded objects can move further into the container orframe.

Further details of the developments described above and furtheradvantages, features and possibilities of application of the presentinvention become clear with the aid of the following description ofpreferred embodiments and the associated figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an end section of a container with corresponding guides anda loading sliding carriage,

FIG. 2 shows stopping- and holding members for the rods in a guide,

FIG. 3 shows a variant of a braking- and fixing device,

FIG. 4 shows a second variant of a braking- and fixing device,

FIG. 5 shows the development of the frame or container and of thepockets with improved padding,

FIG. 6 shows a variant of the invention with short pockets andseparately insertable holding rods, and

FIG. 7 shows a braking device for holding rods.

In FIG. 1 one can see a front section of a frame 1 with a loadingsliding carriage 15. The walls 9,9' and the base 10 of the frame arelikewise drawn in broken form, and also the upper guide tracks 11 and11' for the rods 2 and 3. The frame 1, constructed here as a container,can therefore clearly extend further in the direction of the left-handside in FIG. 1. For clarity, in addition the container 1 and alsofurther parts have been drawn so as to be transparent, in order thatdetails can be recognized better.

In the vicinity of the upper edge of the side walls 9,9', a pair ofopposing guide tracks 11, 11' is secured, in which rollers 30 can run ina guided manner, which are respectively provided at the ends of rods 2and 3 extending transversely between the guide tracks 11 and 11'. Theserods 2 and 3 extend in turn through small holding loops at the upperends of pockets 5 which are formed by larger, hanging loops of a webmaterial, such as for example a foil of a plastic web or of a fabric. InFIG. 1 can see in the tracks 11, 11' only two rods 2 and 3, betweenwhich the web material 4 forms a pocket 5. Depending on the length ofthe frame or container 1, a greater or smaller number of identicalpockets 5 can be suspended on a corresponding number of rods 2, 3. Here,any desired number of further rods 3 adjoin the first rod 2 of the firstpocket 5, and the web material is preferably constructed so as to becontinuous or extends respectively between two adjacent rods, so that asa whole one obtains a cohesive series or chain of such pockets 5. Thesecond pocket 5, which joins on to the rod 3 held in the guide 11, 11',is illustrated in FIG. 1 in fact in opened state. In order to easilyempty the pockets, in which piece goods, such as for example body parts,glass plates or other objects can be arranged, and also to be able toload them, an unloading sliding carriage 15 is provided. For this, a rod3 of a pocket 5 is removed completely from the guide 11 or 11' over theobliquely running offset section 11a and the horizontal end section 11b,wherein the end section 11b still has a stop 11c projecting from below,which prevents a slipping out or falling out of the rod 3. Thecorresponding roller 30 must be lifted away over this stop or shoulder11c. The loading sliding carriage has an approximately trapezoidal shapein cross-section, wherein the upper face of the loading sliding carriageis defined by the holding rod 7 facing the container and the loading rod16 facing away from the container. Beneath the holding rod 7 and loadingrod 16, the loading sliding carriage 15 has a free space, which servesas stowage space for rods 3 and web material 4. On its front face lyingto the right in FIG. 1, the loading sliding carriage 15 additionally hasa stowage flap 18, which has the form of a chute plate or baffle plateand consists of a sheet metal plate extending transversely over theloading sliding carriage 15 and two lateral metal sheets, which haveapproximately the shape of a sector of a circle and permit a folding upof the stowage flap 18 about an angle between typically 30° and 60°.

To open a pocket 5, the rod 3 is then removed from the section 11b ofthe guide tracks 11, 11' and deposited immediately in front of thestowage flap in the stowage box 17. Here, the web material 4 of one sideof the pocket 5 lies over the holding rod 7 and the loading rod 16, andextends up to the just deposited rod 3. The longitudinal sections L1, L2and L3 of the web material between the lowest point of the pocket 5 andthe rod 3 correspond here to the overall length L of the pocket sidewhich is still able to be seen on the left-hand side.

The loading sliding carriage 15 can also have an additional transverserod in its lower region, which lies externally against the lower rim ofa pocket 5, when the latter is opened or is in the opened state. Notillustrated in FIG. 1 are optionally present lateral guide tracks in thestowage box, into which the individual rods 3 can be pushed. Such guidetracks can be arranged one over another in several stages, in order tobe able to fully utilize the volume of the stowage box. After the pocket5 has been unloaded, the rod 3 can then be pushed in a correspondingguide or possibly also without a guide as far as possible into thestowage box 17 and also the web material 4 suspended thereon is pushedafter as smoothly as possible or is deposited in the stowage box 17. Ofcourse, if required, this web material can also remain on the stowagebox, as long as only the rod 3 itself is pushed as far as possible intothe stowage box.

The emptying of the next pocket then follows in a completely analogousmanner, i.e. the next rod 3 is removed via the sections 11a, 11b fromthe guide tracks 11, 11' and via holding rod 7 and loading rod 16,possibly also via the web material of earlier pockets resting thereon,is deposited and the rod 3 is then in turn pushed as far as possibleinto the stowage box. This takes place in succession with all the rods3, wherein a corresponding transportation device typically hasapproximately twenty such rods 3 and pockets 5. The last rod 2 canremain in the container 1. As can be additionally seen in FIG. 1, thepockets 5 can have closure bands 46 on the end face, which can befastened for example by a burred closure on the edges of the pockets 5on the end face on the web material 4.

During the unloading process and to open the individual pockets, therespectively following rods are held securely in their place by stoppingparts 14 and holding parts 13. The two stopping parts 14 are suspendedarticulately at their rear end and have at their front end a stop platecoming into engagement with the rods 3 or with the corresponding holdingloop of the pocket. In order to release the corresponding rod 3, thestopping parts 14 must be raised, so that the rod 3 can be moved awaybeneath the stopping parts to the sections 11a and 11b of the guidetracks 11, 11'. Here, at the same time also the holding parts 13 can beraised, so that also the next rod 3 can be moved further and is thenheld in the unloading or loading position by the stopping parts 14.

In this way, the individual pockets 5 are opened in succession and theobjects situated therein, which are not illustratted in FIG. 1, can beremoved accordingly in succession from the individual pockets 5. Here,gradually, the stowage box 17 is filled with the rods 3 and with the webmaterial 4 lying therebetween or at least with parts of the webmaterial. When all the pockets 5 have been emptied, the stowage box,which is guided with lateral rollers 30 in lower guide tracks 27,27', ispushed into the container 1 again, wherein an elastically prestresseddetent cam 28 is raised by means of a foot pedal 47 and after pushinginto the container 1 is arrested in one of the detent sites 29 on thebase 10 of the container 1. The container 1 can then be transportedagain to a different site, in order to receive objects again in thecorresponding pockets, which are then transported again to theirdestination.

On loading, the process described above runs in the reverse sequence.Firstly, by means of the foot pedal 47 the detent cam 28 is releasedfrom the detent site 29 and the sliding carraige 15 is moved out fromthe container 1 approximately so far that the front holding rod 7 liesapproximately in the plane of the front of the container 1, as isillustrated in FIG. 1. The last rod 2 on unloading of the transportationdevice, which rod 2 is now the first rod of the first pocket 5, can beeither still in the position illustrated in FIG. 1 in the holding parts13 or else at the stopping parts 14, however it could optionally also bestowed in the stowage box 17. The stowage flap 18 opens automatically ondrawing out of the sliding carriage 15, as is further described later.Then if necessary the rod 2 is removed from the stowage box and isinserted or pushed into the guide tracks 11, wherein it comes intoengagement with the underside of the stopping parts 14 and in so doingthese are automatically raised until they drop again, after the rod 2has passed the stopping parts 14. Expediently, the stopping parts 14have stops which limit their swivelling movement upwards and downwards,in which of course the swivelling movement is sufficient to allow therods 2, 3 to pass.

When the first rod 2 is in the position behind the stop parts 14 or isengaged into the recess of the holding parts 13, the first pocket isopened, because the web material 4 hangs down from the rod 2 and, ifthis web material is stowed in the stowage box 17, it is drawn out ifnecessary and placed over the holding rod 7, so that with the formationof the first open pocket, it drops down in a similar manner to thesections L and L1 of the open pocket of FIG. 1. In this state, therespective object, e.g. a sheet metal plate or a body part, can beplaced into the pocket 5. Then the next rod 3 is removed from thestowage box 17, is lifted and with its rollers 30 on the end face issuspended over the stop elements 11c in the section 11b of the guides11, 11'. Then the rod is pushed upwards with its rollers along theobliquely running section 11a of the guide tracks, wherein again thestopping parts 14 are lifted and the preceding rod 2 or 3 is shiftedfurther, whilst the newly placed rod is held behind the stopping parts14 or engages with the holding parts 13. In this state, the next pocket5 is free for loading, is loaded accordingly and the next rod issuspended into the section 11b of the guide tracks 11, 11' and so on. Onplacement of further rods, always a previously already placed rod isfreed from the holding parts 13 and is moved further back in the guidetracks 11 11'.

The stowage flap 18 has at its lower end a lever which is angledforwards, with a roller at its free end. These serve to automaticallyclose the stowage flap on introduction of the sliding carriage into theframe 1, because then the roller of this lever enters into engagementwith the base edge of the frame or container, is thereby lifted andswivelled about the swivel axis of the stowage flap, wherein the stowageflap 18 which is connected with the lever is likewise swivelled andhence closed. Vice versa, the stowage flap opens automatically due togravity and the relative arrangement of the stowage flap 18 to itsswivel axis, when the sliding carriage is moved out from the container 1and in so doing the roller of the lever slides downwards over the lowercontainer edge.

In FIG. 2 the holding parts 13 and stopping parts 14 are illustratedagain in further detail. In addition, one can see alongside the rollers30, which run in a guide track 11 bent in a C-shape in cross-section andare thus secured against slipping out from the guide track 11, alsospacers or buffers 51 arranged outside the tracks and adjacent thereto,which have a somewhat greater diameter than the rollers 30 and thusprevent a contact of adjacent rollers. As can be seen, the two adjacentstopping parts 14, of which here of course only one is illustrated, areconnected with each other by a transverse bar 45, so that it is possiblewith a simple handle, by raising the transverse bar 45, to lift bothstopping parts 14 at the same time. The holding parts 13 areautomatically lifted toward the rear on displacement of the rod 3,because the next rod 3 slides on the lower oblique surface of theholding parts 13 and lifts them. Also the stopping parts areautomatically lifted when the rods are pushed into the device, howeveron unloading of the device they must be lifted on the transverse bar 45,in order to be able to draw out the rod 3 forward from the guide tracks11.

By means of additional bars or other auxiliary mechanical arrangements,the stopping parts can also be coupled with the holding parts 13, inorder to also free the rod held by the holding parts 13 with activelifting of the stopping parts 14, possibly also with a small delay withrespect to the stopping parts 14. The holding parts 13 have at theirfree end an oblique surface 13a and in the detent depression an obliquesurface 13b inclined in the same direction. These oblique surfaces allowthe rods 3, 2 to be able to slide through on unloading from the rear tothe front under the holding parts 13, without these having to be liftedby action from the exterior, however the rods are prevented at thelatest at the stopping parts 14 from a further outward movement. Viceversa, on loading, the rods 3 can pass the stopping part 14, however areheld secure in the detent depression of the holding parts 13 and areprevented from a further inward movement, until the next rod 3 picks upthe oblique surface 13c and thereby frees the rod 3 held in the detentdepression, in order to then assume its place itself.

After all the pockets, optionally also only a portion of the pockets,have been loaded and the objects are to be transported to a differentlocation, the sliding carriage 15 is pushed into the container 1 again.In so doing, the holding rod 7 comes into contact with the respectivelylast loaded pocket, it not being an intrusion if for example with anincompletely loaded device there are still a few layers of web material4 on the holding rod 7. As can be seen in addition, the loading slidingcarriage can be engaged on the detent points 29 in various positions inlongitudinal direction of the container 1, wherein here the detentpoints are only indicated diagrammatically at five points, however canextend more or less over the entire length of the container 1. Therebyit is possible, independently of the respective loading state of thedevice and independently of the thickness of the respective objectswhich are held in the pockets, to always push the loading slidingcarriage 15 into the container 1 so far that the loading rod 7 presseswith a certain force against the last pocket 5 and thereby all remainingpockets 5 are correspondingly compressed, wherein the pressure force ofthe loading sliding carriage 15 is of course kept so low that in no waycan damage occur to the objects 6 by the compressing in the pockets 5.

Alternatively, when the space in the container is substantiallycompletely taken up by the objects 6 and pockets 5, the holding rod 7can be swivelled upwards over the loading rod 16, downwards again intothe position illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 1. In this position,the loading rod 16 undertakes the function of the holding rod 7 and isbrought into abutment or holding engagement with the last pocket onintroduction of the sliding carriage 15. In this way it is alwaysensured that the pockets can not swing, or only to a small extent, inthe container or frame 1, so that even on transportation in rockinglorries, damage to the objects 6 held in the pocket 5 is largely ruledout.

In addition, preferably also the individual supporting rods 2, 3 of thepockets 5 are fixed by means of a corresponding brake device 20. Anexample embodiment of this is illustrated in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 one cansee the brake device 20 which consists of a shaft 21, a metal plate 21'firmly connected with the shaft 21, and a rubber plate or a rubber strip22 fastend to the metal plate 21'. The shaft 21 can be turned to and froby means of a lever 32 through 90° about its longitudinal axis. Here, indotted lines, a position is drawn of the lever 32 and of the rubberplate 22 fastened to the shaft, in which the brake device 20 is out ofengagement with the rods 3. The fixing position is illustrated by solidlines. The brake lever 32 can be suspended in the released position ofthe brake device 20 behind a hook 34, which is fastened at its upper,transversely running frame part of the frame 1. When the brake issituated in the fixing position, as is drawn by solid lines, then thebrake lever 32 is held secure behind a hook 33 which is fastened to avertical spar of the frame 1. In so doing, the shaft 21 is swivelledwith the parts fastened thereto through 90° from the position drawn indotted lines, wherein the edge of the rubber strip or rubber plate 22comes into engagement with the rods 3 and bends owing to its elasticityand lies in an arc shape around the individual rods 3. Hereby, theindividual rods 3 are held secure in their position. Optionally, insteadof the rubber strip or rubber plate 22, one can also use another,preferably elastomer material, wherein such a strip can also haverecesses in predetermined spacings to receive the rods 3 or else canhave a predetermined continuous corrugated pattern, wherein the rods 3then, on bringing such a strip into engagement with the rods, slide intothe corresponding recesses or depressions of the corrugated pattern. Thevariant with a continuous straight rubber strip 22, however, has theadvantage that the spacings of the individual rods are thereby not fixedand all rods are held in the position which they actually assume aftercomplete loading.

In addition to the swinging of the individual pockets 5, thereby also aslipping of the upper rods 2, 3 is prevented, so that the objects 6 arealso held securely in the pockets 5 in the case of a very roughtransportation.

Furthermore, in FIG. 3 in addition a few further details can be seen,which prevent a closure of the container 1 by means of the laterallyarticulated closure flap 8, unless the brake device is in the solidlydrawn fixing position. It is to be understood that for loading andunloading the device, the brake device is released and the brake leveris situated in the position drawn in dotted lines behind the hook 34. Ascan be seen, however, the brake lever 32 has a slightly forwardprojecting cam 35 and on the inner face of the closure flap 8 inaddition a cam plate 36 is arranged. On attempting to close the closureflap 8, when the brake lever is in the position drawn in dotted lines,the cam 35 automatically comes into engagement with the cam plate 36 andprevents the complete closure of the closure flap 8. This reminds theoperator, if necessary, that firstly the brake lever 32 must be broughtinto the fixing position behind the hook 33, wherein in this positionthe closing of the closure flap 8 is possible, because then the camplate 36, which is likewise mounted projecting on the inner face of theclosure flap, can be moved past the cam 35 and also the remaining partsof the brake lever 32.

Another variant of a brake device is illustrated in FIG. 4. In the caseof the example embodiment of FIG. 4, a plate 23 of a rubber elasticmaterial or elastomer material, which has good braking qualities for theindividual rods 3, is secured to the underside of a track 24 which issuspended in a rocking manner. The track 24 has a U-shaped cross-sectionand is secured by means of connecting members 25 which, for example, mayhave the form of individual bars or else sheet metal plates extendingtransversely over the track, on an upper track 24' which in turn issecured in the frame 1, preferably on a cover plate thereof. Theconnecting members 25, as already mentioned, can consist of individuallongitudinal and transverse bars or struts, however they can also besheet metal plates which are flanged on their upper and lower end andthereby respectively comprise an oscillation bar 37 or 38 extendingtransversely through the shanks bent in a U-shape. On one or more pairsof adjacent connecting members 25, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4,a spring 26 can be arranged, which connects an upper transverse bar 37of one connecting member 25 with the lower transverse bar 38 of theadjacent connecting member 25 and which is dimensioned so that, owing toits spring tension, it lifts the lower track 24 with the brake plate 23arranged thereon into the position drawn in solid lines. The front endof the track 24 is in turn provided with a pressure roller 39, which inthe position drawn in solid lines projects beyond the plane of the frontedge of the frame or of the container 1. This leads to the roller 39, onclosing of the closure flap 8, automatically coming into engagement withthe closure flap, thereby being pressed to the rear together with thetrack 24, wherein the track 24 is pressed with the brake plate 23against the action of the spring 26 into the engagement position drawnin dotted lines. In this position, the brake plate 23 presses onto thesurface of the individual rods 3 and holds these securely in theirposition.

FIG. 5 shows further steps to prevent transportation damage to theobjects transported in the pockets 5. In FIG. 5 at the top left, thecontainer or frame 1 is illustrated without components such as guidetracks and suspended pockets etc. On the rear wall of the container 1,in corrugated form, strips 40 of padding material are fastened, which onbringing a holding rod up to the last filled pocket, catch the firstpocket 5 in this row of pockets in an end position and thus form asoftly padded abutment. The convexities owing to the corrugated shape ofthe padding material 40 can yield here in the direction of the rearwall.

As can be seen bottom right in FIG. 5, the pockets are also themselvesprovided with corresponding padding strips 41, which are preferablyarranged at critical points where possibly sharp-edged sections of theobjects 6 touch the inner wall of the pockets 5. As with suchtransportation devices often large numbers of identical objects aretransported, it is often expedient to use pockets 5 specificallycoordinated with the objects 6 to be transported and adaptedaccordingly, which can then have corresponding padding material 41 atquite specific sites. Of course, it is also possible to distributepadding elements or padding strips uniformly on the outer or inner faceof the individual pocket, wherein of course care is to be taken thatthese paddings do not take up too much volume, because then the stowingof the web material 4 is substantially more costly and more difficult.In addition, one can also see clearly in FIG. 5 the suspension loops 42constructed at the upper end of the pocket, through which the rods 2 or3 extend. It is to be understood that the pocket 5, proceeding from eachof the two loops 42, can be continued as desired with further adjoiningpockets 5. Alternatively, of course, other suspension possibilities ofthe individual pockets are conceivable. For example, the upper ends ofthe web material of the individual pockets could be placed into aholding section and clamped firmly therein, wherein the holding sectioncan be an additional part secured to the rods 2, 3 or else the rodsthemselves are constructed as corresponding section pieces.

In FIG. 6 a further embodiment of the invention is illustrated, in whichthe individual pockets 5', compared with the objects 6 held therein,have only a very small height. Actually, only the first rod 2 runs in anupper guide and forms a wall of a pocket of the web material 4,extending substantially over the entire height of the transportationdevice. The next rods 3, however, are guided in guide tracks 12,12'lying substantially deeper, so that the second wall of the first pocketand the following pockets 5' all together are substantially lower orshorter. On the other hand, one can seen that an object 6, illustratedby way of example, which is held in the first pocket, extends over alarge part of the height of the container 1. It is to be understood thatthis object must be prevented from tipping out from the pocket. Forthis, a holding rod 7 is provided, which is guided on a central verticallevel in guide tracks 19, 19'. This holding rod 7 can be lined with apadding material and is pressed in the guide 19, 19' against the object6. Preferably, the holding rods 7 have approximately the same diameteras the lower rods 3 with the loops 42 lying around.

In this variant, no loading sliding carriage with stowage box isprovided, but rather expediently in addition lower guide tracks 48, 48'are provided, which still extend beneath the lower edge of theindividual pockets 5'. Beneath the pockets 5' therefore a free space isfurther provided, in which the individual rods 3 can be held with theempty pockets 5', wherein the web material 4 of the pockets 5' can alsoreadily lie on the base of the container 1.

The rods 3 of the empty pockets 5' are then therefore removed insuccession from the lower guides 48, 48' and pushed into the lowerguides 12, 12' lying thereabove. The object 6 is then inserted into sucha pocket and is swivelled to the rear against the wall of the firstpocket or in the case of the lower pockets against the holding rod 7previously introduced into the guides 19, 19'. In the lower region thenthe objects, preferably plate-shaped objects 6, are held spaced apart bythe individual rods 3 and in the central region holding rods 7 producethe desired distance between the objects 6, so that these can not toucheach other and damage each other. Following each object 6, a new holdingrod 7 is introduced again into the guides 19, 19'. The holding rods 7are stored in turn in an upper guide path 43, 43' unless they arerequired in the central guide tracks 19, 19'. This upper guide path 43,43' runs inclined slightly forward, so that the individual holding rods7, with the container 1 aligned vertically, roll foward against a stopnot illustrated here, so that they can be easily removed from the frontregion of the container 1. In so doing, respectively, a holding rod 7 ispushed into the guides 19, 19' behind an object 6 held in one of thepockets 5' and extending upwards.

In FIG. 7 in this connection in addition a braking- and fixing device20' is illustrated which has also been shown more generally in FIG. 6,and which is coordinated specifically to this variant. The concern herein particular is that on loading the device one of the objects 6 doesnot possibly tilt forward, simply pressing the respective holding rod 7from its guide 19, 19'. For this purpose, a braking and fixing device isprovided, which has certain factors in common with the brake devicesuspended in a rocking manner, illustrated in FIG. 4. Also in the caseof the brake device 20' illustrated in FIG. 7, an upper track 44' isfastened rigidly to the container, e.g. on the lateral container wall 9and a lower track 44 is suspended in an oscillating manner parallel tothe upper track 44' and via connecting members 25'. Furthermore, on thelower track 44 in turn a strip or an elongated plate 22' of a rubberelastic material is fastened, the free edge of which can come intoengagement with the upper face of the individual holding rods 7. At thefront end of the track 44 in addition an adjustable stop 49 is provided,through which it is to be ensured that the lower track 44, on swivellingabout the axes of the connecting members 25', is not able to be movedbeyond the lower dead centre which marks the lowest position of thetrack 44' and of the rubber strip 22'. On the other hand, the track 44can be moved by the stop 49 away to the front, i.e. to the left in FIG.7, and upwards. If a new holding rod 7 is now pushed with its roller 39into the track 19, and if in so doing the track 44 or the rubber strip22' is situated close to its lowest possible position, then the rod 7strikes against the end face 22" of the rubber strip 22' and in so doingmoves it to the left, wherein the two connecting members 25' swivelabout their upper axis on the track 44' and thereby lift the lower track44 with the rubber strip 22'. The rod 7 then slides through under thelower edge of the strip 22' until it comes into abutment with the object6 which is to be held and is pressed against slightly further, in orderto firmly press in abutment against each other the entire series ofobjects and rods which are arranged alternately one behind the other.The elastic restoring forces of the entire system then have the tendencyto press the individual rods with the objects back again somewhat,wherein, however, the upper face of the rods touches the lower edge ofthe rubber strip 22' and takes this back with it somewhat to the rear.In so doing, the track 44 must automatically drop with the rubber strip22' and thus comes into increasingly greater contact with the rods 7, sothat the strip 22' at its lower edge buckles slightly elastically andfinally, when the track 44 strikes against the stop 49, secures all rods7 uniformly well. The rubber strip 22' here is preferably secured on thetrack 44 so as to be exchangeable by means of a rear holding plate 50.

In addition, the stop 49, as already indicated in FIG. 7, has twodifferent fixing positions, namely the one normal operation positionjust described, and a release position in which the stop is movedfurther forward and holds the track 44 in a slightly raised state, sothat the lower edge of the rubber strip 22' is out of engagement withthe holding rods 7. This position is preferably set for the unloading ofthe device, when holding rods 7 are to be removed to the front from theguide tracks 19. The stop here can also be movable elastically back intoits normal position, so that it is always only moved from the holdingrods for the moment of drawing forward of one or more holding rods 7with objects arranged therebetween, and then comes back into engagementtherewith again. The removed holding rods 7 are then pushed into theupper guides 43, 43' in succession, whilst the lower rods 3, which carrythe individual pockets 5', are pushed into the lower guides 48, 48'.

The braking devices and also the holding- and stopping parts 13, 14 canalso be selectively equipped with a foot lever mechanism, so that thepersons who undertake the loading and unloading, on actuating the sameelement, have their hands free for the removal or suspension of the rods3. The said elements are preferably prestressed here in holdingengagement and are only released by actuation of the foot lever.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transportable transportation device forcarrying piece goods, the transportable device consisting of atransportable frame (1) with an upper guide for at least one first rod(2) held and guided on the upper guide, and with further rods (3) whichlikewise extend on one of said upper guide, or a parallel guide parallelto the upper guide, at a distance beneath the upper guide substantiallyparallel to the first rod (2), wherein the rods carry a web material (4)in the form of loops acting as receiving pockets (5) for piece goods (6)being loaded and unloaded on said transportable device, wherein at leastone holding rod (7) is provided which is aligned parallel to theremaining rods (2,3) and which is displaceable beneath the upper guidein the direction of the receiving pockets (5) and in an abutmentposition against a last of these pockets (5) along the rods (2,3) or anobject (6) held in said last pocket, said holding rod being fixable insaid abutment position, such that said receiving pockets loaded withpiece goods are pushed toward each other to greatly reduce swingingmovement of the pockets during relocation of the entire transportationdevice.
 2. A transportation device according to claim 1, wherein theupper and a parallel lower guide, when present, comprise a pair of upperguide tracks (11, 11') and a pair of lower guide tracks (12, 12')respectively, arranged laterally in the frame (1), said guide tracksbeing arranged to have a piece goods loading side.
 3. A transportationdevice according to claim 2, wherein the upper guide tracks (11, 11')run offset downwards at their loading side.
 4. A transportation deviceaccording to claim 3 wherein several holding rods (7) are provided, oneof which is arranged between adjacent objects (6) or between groups ofobjects (6) on an intermediate level between upper and lower guides. 5.A transportation device according to claim 3, wherein the frame (1)additionally has a receiving arrangement, at a distance beneath thelower guide, for rods (3) and web material (4) not in use.
 6. Atransportation device according to claim 5, wherein the receivingarrangement consists of a free space remaining beneath pockets (5)formed by the loops, with laterally arranged guide tracks to receiveends of the rods (3).
 7. A transportation device according to claim 1,wherein the frame is provided on a charging side with a closure flap(8).
 8. A transportation device according to claim 1, wherein the framecomprises side walls (9) on a base (10).
 9. A transportation deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the frame comprises side walls (9) on abase (10) and further comprises a cover to form a container enclosed bysaid base, sidewalls and cover.
 10. A transportation device according toclaim 1, wherein the holding rod (7) is lined with a padding material.11. A transportation device according to claim 1, wherein at least oneof a holding part (13) and a stopping part (14) are provided for holdingthe rods (2, 3) in the guides in at least one of a loading and unloadingposition.
 12. A transportation device according to claim 11, wherein theloading sliding carriage (15) has a loading rod (16) arranged behind theholding rod (7), and that under the holding rod (7) and the loading rod(16) a stowage box (17) is provided for receiving rods (2,3) and the webmaterial (4) arranged thereon.
 13. A transportation device according toclaim 12, characterized in that the stowage box (7) has a stowage flap(18) articulated on a lower end of said box under the loading rod andswivellable forward.
 14. A transportation device according to claim 13,wherein stowage box (17) lateral guide parts are provided for theordered holding of the rods (2,3).
 15. A transportation device accordingto claim 12, wherein the holding rod (7) is swivellable about theloading rod (16).
 16. The transportation device according to claim 15,wherein loading rod (16) has a sheathing of a padding material.
 17. Atransportation device according to claim 1, wherein the holding rod (7)is provided on a loading sliding carriage (15) which is movable into theframe.
 18. A transportation device according to claim 17, wherein theloading sliding carriage (15) is moveable as a unit into the frame (1)and is able to be fixed in a variably selectable position in the frame(1).
 19. A transportation device according to claim 17, wherein at leasta portion of said first rod, said further rods and said holding rod (2,3, 7) and loading sliding carriage (15) have rollers (30') guided in therespective guides.
 20. A transportation device according to claim 1,wherein a first rod (2) runs in an upper guide, whilst all the otherrods (3) carrying the web material (4) are guided in a guide runningdistinctly lower, and that the at least one holding rod (7) is arrangedparallel to the upper (2) and the lower rods (3) at an intermediatelevel between rods (2) and (3).
 21. A transportation device according toclaim 20, wherein the holding rod (7) has its own guide (19, 19') in theframe (1).
 22. A transportation device according to claim 21, whereinthe guide (19, 19') for the holding rods extends substantially over anentire length of the frame (1).
 23. A transportation device according toclaim 2, wherein a braking and fixing device (20) is provided for therods (2, 3) held in the guides.
 24. A transportation device according toclaim 23, wherein the braking and fixing device (20) consists of anelongated plate (22) of an elastomeric material, arranged on a shaft(21), wherein the shaft (21) extends perpendicularly to the rods (2, 3)and approximately parallel to the upper guide tracks (11, 11') and isswivellable about a longitudinal axis of the shaft (21) such that theplate (22) of elastomer material is able to be brought into engagementby one of longitudinal edges (22') of the plate with the rods (2, 3)with deformation.
 25. A transportation device according to claim 23,wherein the braking and fixing device comprises a brake layer arrangedin a track (24) which is swivellable on a series of swivel members (25)in a plane containing the track (24).
 26. The transportation deviceaccording to claim 25, wherein the brake layer consists of anelastomeric material.
 27. A transportation device according to claim 25,wherein track (24) is forced by a spring (26) into a position in whichthe brake layer made of elastomer material, is lifted from the rods (2,3).
 28. A transportation device according to claim 23, wherein thebraking and fixing device (20) is coupled with at least one of a closuremechanism of a loading sliding carriage (15), a closure flap (8) and theholding rod (7) such that, with the loading sliding carriage (15) orholding rod pushed in or the closure flap (8) closed, the braking andfixing device is automatically engaged with the first and further rods(2, 3).
 29. A transportation device according to claim 1, wherein theframe (1) is padded at a rear end.
 30. The transportation device ofclaim 29, wherein the padding comprises corrugated strips curving intothe device.